There’s nothing like having a good barbeque or roast over a fire pit. Whether you love fire pit cooking when camping or in your own backyard, cooking over open flames is always fun, exciting, and yields delicious dishes. But while most people will roast meats on a fire pit, what other options do you have when it comes to cooking on a fire pit roast?
You can roast all sorts of meat on a fire pit. Other popular dishes include kebabs, hot dogs, roasted fruit, campfire pizza, toasted burritos, and even sandwiches. If you want to go with classic campfire snacks, try making popcorn, roasted sweetcorn, and marshmallows.
Let’s take a detailed look at the complete list of foods you can roast on a fire pit and a brief recipe for each.
1. Roast Chicken
Roasted chicken is a campfire classic and one of the easiest meats to roast over a fire pit. Depending on the type of grilling setup you have over the pit, you can either roast or grill the chicken. However, most people prefer the taste of roast chicken as it retains more juice and fat.
Follow this recipe for roasting chicken in a roast pit:
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken
- Cooking oil
- Spices
- Lemon juice
- Heavy duty foil
Method
- Place the whole chicken on a large piece of tin foil. Use enough foil to cover the chicken at least once.
- Spray the chicken with cooking oil thoroughly. You can also use melted butter or dressing oil if you want. The oil will prevent the chicken from drying out.
- Dress the chicken with spices and lemon juice. Use more spices than you would in a normal grill, as the chicken will absorb the spices when it roasts.
- Cover the chicken with the foil and wrap it with another 4-5 layers of heavy-duty tin foil.
- Place it on a grill or in the middle of the fire pit for 15 minutes.
- Flip the sides after every 15 minutes and cook for about 2 hours.
- Carefully remove the chicken and check that it’s properly cooked. If not, place it in the pit for another 20 minutes.
- Dress with lemon juice and serve.
While this recipe is pretty straightforward, you’ll have to be careful not to burn the chicken by putting too little tin foil. Additionally, this is one of the few foods that you can cook by placing it directly in the flames, so be careful when removing or placing the chicken in the fire pit.
2. Grilled Steak
Steak is the ultimate barbecue and campfire staple. Steak is easy to grill over a fire pit and doesn’t require anything other than a grill plate. You can also add your own dressings and spices and grill the steak to your liking. However, you’ll have to follow the right method to avoid burning the steak or ending up with an uncooked piece of meat.
Follow this recipe for grilling steak over a fire pit:
Ingredients
- Finely cut steak (try getting cuts with slightly more fat)
- Grill bar
- Salt, pepper, and other seasonings.
- Cooking oil
Method
- Rub the steak thoroughly with cooking oil. You can also use an oil spray.
- Add the salt, pepper, and seasoning to the meat. Be generous with spices.
- Place the grill bar over the fire so that it’s just above the flames. Add oil to the grill bar.
- Place the steak on the grill bar. Switch sides after every 15 minutes.
- Check the steak after an hour or two with a meat thermometer.
While you can grill steak over flames, it’s better to place charcoal inside the fire pit and grill the meat slowly. This will release more flavor and get you that tender grilled steak.
3. Smoked Salmon
Roasting salmon with a fire pit is much healthier (and tastier) than frying it. The process is pretty much the same as with other meats, but fish will roast much faster than beef or chicken. You can even roast salmon plain and add the seasoning afterward, although most recipes recommend roasting it with the seasonings.
Here’s how to roast salmon on a fire pit:
Ingredients
- Fresh whole salmon
- Olive oil
- Seasoning (include herbs, spices, salt, pepper, and lemon juice).
- Food-grade string
Method
- Make a few diagonal cuts along the fish’s belly.
- Rub the fish with oil. You can also add salt and pepper for taste.
- Rub the spices onto the fish’s skin.
- Stuff the rest of the spices and herbs inside the fish. Use the string to close the two halves of the fish.
- Place it on a grill and flip the fish’s side after every 15 minutes.
- Remove the fish after an hour or two and enjoy.
Grilling fish is easier when you use charcoal since the direct flames will burn the outer skin and leave the fish uncooked. If you want to grill the salmon on direct flames in a fire pit, you’ll have to wrap it in tin foil first.
4. Meat Kebabs
Meat kebabs are another favorite fire pit roast recipe. They’re tasty, easy to prepare, and can be roasted over coals or direct flames. You can also make meat kebabs with any type of meat, although mutton is usually best.
Let’s look at the recipe for making mouth-watering meat kebabs:
Ingredients
- Boneless meat
- Skewers
- Lemon juice, garlic paste, and other seasonings.
- Cooking oil
- Tomatoes
Method
- Chop the meat into small pieces.
- Marinate the pieces in a mixture of lemon juice and seasoning for at last an hour.
- Place the meat on the skewer. Add a small piece of tomato after every few pieces of meat.
- Dress the meat with cooking oil.
- Place the skewers at least 1 foot (30.5 cm) over the flames in the fire pit.
- Let the kebabs roast and turn the sides after every 10 minutes. They should be ready in about 20 minutes to an hour, dispensing on the type of meat.
5. Fruit Kebabs
While meat is the first thing that comes to mind when kebabs are mentioned, fruit kebabs are another specialty for a fire pit roast. They can be quite tasty, but you’ll have to choose the right type of fruit since not all fruits roast well.
Bananas, strawberries, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, and apples make great fruit kebabs. You can also top them with chocolate sauce, orange juice, or cream. When roasting fruit kebabs, place different types of fruit together so the flavors can mix.
Cut the fruit into small pieces, place them on wooden skewers, and roast about a foot over the fire pit. You don’t even need to roast them for long; 5-10 minutes should be enough. Add the chocolate sauce or other toppings after the kebabs are ready.
6. Hot Dogs
Roasting hot dogs over a fire pit is another camping classic. Hot dogs are easy to roast and don’t require as much preparation time as other meat roasts. You’ll simply need to roast the hot dog, add some ketchup and mustard, and you’re ready to go.
There are two methods of roasting hot dogs over an open fire pit. The easiest way is to oil them and place them on a grill. You’ll need to swap the sides several times before the hot dogs are ready. The second method involves placing the hot dog on a skewer and roasting it like a kebab. This is slightly more difficult as you’ll have to place the skewers in the center of the sausage.
If you’re still not sure how it’s done, check out the video below on how to roast hot dogs over a fire pit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3bdiiMYSr0
7. Roasted Fruit
If you’re looking for a healthy campfire dessert, there’s nothing better than roasted fruit. You can roast most seasonal fruit on a fire pit, although pears, apples, peaches, and bananas are the best.
When roasting fruit on a fire pit, you’ll need to wrap them thoroughly in tin foil and place them on a grill plate. You can also place the fruit directly in the pit roast if you’re using heavy-duty tin foil. Most fruit will take around 20 minutes or less to roast, but the timing can vary.
You can coat roasted fruit with caramel, chocolate sauce, or even golden brown sugar.
8. Campfire Pizza
While pizza isn’t usually associated with a fire pit, you can actually make great pizzas on an open flame. Campfire pizzas are the same as regular pizzas, but you’ll have to take special care when cooking them on an open flame. If you don’t have time to prepare the pizza, you can use a frozen pizza instead.
To roast a campfire pizza, place a cast iron pan on the fire pit grill and oil it. Place the pizza in the pan and cook it over the flames until the crust becomes golden brown. Avoid placing the pan directly over the fire, and use charcoal if you want a more thoroughly cooked base.
9. Toasted Burritos
If you’re looking for an easy and quick fire pit meal, roasted burritos are worth a try. They can be prepared in less than 10 minutes if your fire pit is already hot and are a tasty and wholesome meal.
Roasting burritos over a fire pit is almost the same as making regular burritos. Simply place the stuffings inside the tortilla and wrap it in heavy-duty tin foil. Place it over smoldering coals and cook each side for 3 minutes. Always wrap the burritos with at least 4 layers of tin foil to avoid burning them.
Check out this burrito recipe collection to learn how to choose the best stuffings for your campfire burrito.
10. Toasted Sandwich
Making a toasted sandwich on a fire pit is slightly more difficult than you may think, but it’s not impossible either. If you have an iron pie maker, you can easily place the sandwich in it to roast directly over the flames.
If you want to roast the sandwich directly, place it over a grill bar that’s at least a foot over the flame. Flip the sandwich’s side after 2-3 minutes, and your sandwich should be ready in less than 5 minutes.
11. Popcorn
Fire pit roasts don’t always have to be about “roasting.” You can also pop popcorn over a fire pit for a bit of fun when camping or at a backyard party. However, making popcorn on a fire pit is a little different from popping it in the microwave!
To make popcorn over a fire pit, oil a strip of heavy-duty tin foil. Place the popcorn on the foil and fold the foil around the kernels. Crimp the edges of the foil and leave some extra space in the foil “packet.”
Wrap the popcorn with at least 4 layers of tin foil and place a skewer through the top edge of the foil packet. “Roast” the popcorn like you would with kebabs and wait for it to pop.
12. Sweetcorn
Sweet Corn is another favorite for fire pit roasts. It’s easy to roast and a healthier snack than most campfire desserts. You also don’t need any additional ingredients (besides a little salt or butter) to prepare roasted corn, making it the perfect camping meal.
To roast corn over a fire pit, place a metal skewer through the corn, add butter and salt and hold it just above the flames for around 10-15 minutes. Rotate the skewer constantly to roast the corn thoroughly.
13. French Toast
French toast is the last thing that you’ll think of roasting over a fire pit, but it’s a great option. However, you can’t “roast” the bread directly over the flames, and you’ll need a pie iron to prepare it over a fire pit.
Simply dip the bread in egg batter, place it in a pie iron and toast the bread in the fire pit. You can add toppings such as cream, butter, or jam after the bread is thoroughly browned and slightly cooler.
15. Marshmallows
Finally, we’ve come to the campfire special! Marshmallows are a must for campfires and can easily be roasted on a fire pit. All you need to do is place the marshmallows on metal skewers and roast them over the flames.
If you’re tired of plain marshmallows, add coatings such as melted chocolate or caramel and sprinkle the marshmallows with nuts. There’s no shortage of combinations to try out when roasting marshmallows, so let your imagination run wild!
Sources
- Patio and Pizza: Cooking on a Fire Pit: The Complete Guide
- Fire Pit Design UK: Top Ten Things To Toast On Your Fire Pit
- The Fire Pit Gallery: Top 10 Best Campfire Foods You’ll Want to Make
- Brit Co: 12 Fire Pit Recipes for Your Summertime Backyard Soiree
- BBC Good Food: Burrito recipes
- YouTube: Cooking Hot Dogs And S’mores Over The Fire Pit | Cooking S’mores | Campfire Cooking Hot Dogs
